IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/deveza/v19y2002i2p307-327.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land use and extension services at Wovwe Rice Scheme, Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Wiseman Chijere Chirwa

Abstract

Over the last one-and-half decades Malawi has experienced frequent food shortages due to droughts, the effects of the influx of refugees from neighbouring Mozambique, and official policies that emphasised export-oriented cash crop production. To enhance the country's food security, and to give increased opportunities to small farmers, there has been a shift to small-scale irrigation schemes in selected areas of the country. Evidence from a rice scheme in the northern part of the country suggests that small-scale irrigated operations are characterised by high turnover rates, seasonal variations in patronage, under-utilisation of the key facilities provided, and incessant political tensions. They create fissures in the social structures and in the traditional farming systems. This article thus concludes that small-scale irrigated schemes cannot be regarded simplistically as a panacea to food security and increased agricultural production at the local community levels. The argument that the small operations result in the fast delivery of services may also be exaggerated. In fact, they are quite bureaucratic, and associated with the state's patronising attitude and control of resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Wiseman Chijere Chirwa, 2002. "Land use and extension services at Wovwe Rice Scheme, Malawi," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 307-327.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:deveza:v:19:y:2002:i:2:p:307-327
    DOI: 10.1080/03768350020013543
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03768350020013543
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/03768350020013543?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lele, Uma, 1990. "Structural adjustment, agricultural development and the poor: Some lessons from the Malawian experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 18(9), pages 1207-1219, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ferguson, A. E. & Mulwafu, W. O., 2005. "Irrigation reform in Malawi: Exploring critical land-water intersections," IWMI Books, Reports H038761, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Ferguson, A. & Mulwafu, W., 2007. "If government failed, how are we to succeed?: the importance of history and context in present-day irrigation reform in Malawi," IWMI Books, Reports H040696, International Water Management Institute.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chilowa, Wycliffe, 1998. "The impact of agricultural liberalisation on food security in Malawi," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 553-569, December.
    2. Nyondo, Christone R.J & Davidova, Sophia M. & Bailey, Alastair, 2013. "On Market Liberalisation and Efficiency: A Structural VECM Analysis of Dry Beans Markets in Malawi," 87th Annual Conference, April 8-10, 2013, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 158696, Agricultural Economics Society.
    3. Jayne, Thomas S. & Jones, Stephen P., 1996. "Food Marketing and Pricing Policy in Eastern and Southern Africa: Lessons for Increasing Agricultural Productivity and Access to Food," Food Security International Development Policy Syntheses 11337, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    4. Argwings-Kodhek, Gem & Jayne, Thomas S. & Nyambane, Gerald G. & Awuor, Tom & Yamano, Takashi, 1998. "How Can Micro-Level Household Information Make a Difference for Agricultural Policy Making: Selected Examples from the KAMPAP Survey of Smallholder Agriculture and Non Farm Activities for Selected Dis," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 57056, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    5. Prowse, Martin, 2011. "A century of growth? A history of tobacco production and marketing in Malawi 1890-2005," IOB Working Papers 2011.10, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    6. Adu-Nyako, Kofi & Gottret, M. V. & Weatherspoon, D. & Seale, J. L. Jr., 1990. "Macroeconomic Linkages Among Import Demand, Food Demand and Foreign Debt for Selected Southern African Economies: An Exploratory Analysis," 1990 Symposium, Agricultural Restructuring in Southern Africa, July 24-27, 1990, Swakopmund, Namibia 183496, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Nana Yaw Oppong, 2014. "Failure of Structural Adjustment Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policy Design or Policy Implementation?," Journal of Empirical Economics, Research Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 3(5), pages 321-331.
    8. Jayne, Thomas S. & Mukumbu, Mulinge & Duncan, John & Staatz, John M. & Howard, Julie A. & Lundberg, Mattias K.A. & Aldridge, Kim & Nakaponda, Bethel & Ferris, John N. & Keita, Francis & Sanankoua, Abd, 1995. "Trends in Real Food Prices in Six Sub-Saharan African Countries," Food Security International Development Policy Syntheses 11327, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    9. Nyoro, James K. & Kiiru, M.W. & Jayne, Thom S., 1999. "Evolution of Kenya's Maize Marketing Systems in the Post-Liberalization Era," Working Papers 202679, Egerton University, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.
    10. Löfgren, Hans & Chulu, Osten & Sichinga, Osky & Simtowe, Franklin & Tchale, Hardwick & Teska, Ralph & Wobst, Peter, 2001. "External shocks and domestic poverty alleviation: Simulations with a CGE model of Malawi," TMD discussion papers 71, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    11. Mhone, Guy C. Z.,, 1995. "African women workers, economic reform, globalization, AIDS and civil conflict," ILO Working Papers 993096413402676, International Labour Organization.
    12. Harrigan, Jane, 2003. "U-Turns and Full Circles: Two Decades of Agricultural Reform in Malawi 1981-2000," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 847-863, May.
    13. Giovanni Andrea Cornia & Bruno Martorano, "undated". "The dynamics of income inequality in a dualistic economy – Malawi," UNDP Africa Policy Notes 2017-01, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Africa.
    14. Jayne, T. S. & Jones, Stephen, 1997. "Food marketing and pricing policy in Eastern and Southern Africa: A survey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(9), pages 1505-1527, September.
    15. Orr, Alastair, 2000. "'Green Gold'?: Burley Tobacco, Smallholder Agriculture, and Poverty Alleviation in Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 347-363, February.
    16. Medagbe, F.M.Kinkingninhoun, 2018. "Gender difference in technology adoption: Case of NERICA varieties in Benin," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277544, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    17. Smale, Melinda & Jayne, T.S., 2003. "Maize in Eastern and Southern Africa: 'seeds' of success in retrospect," EPTD discussion papers 97, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    18. repec:ilo:ilowps:309641 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Barbier, Edward B. & Burgess, Joanne C., 1992. "Agricultural pricing and environmental degradation," Policy Research Working Paper Series 960, The World Bank.
    20. Tony Killick, 1995. "Structural Adjustment and Poverty Alleviation: An Interpretative Survey," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 26(2), pages 305-330, April.
    21. Lele, Uma & Mellor, John W., 1988. "Agricultural Growth, its Determinants, and Their Relationship to World Development: an Overview," 1988 Conference, August 24-31, 1988, Buenos Aires, Argentina 183063, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:deveza:v:19:y:2002:i:2:p:307-327. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CDSA20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.